Yes, all those zeros are real. Several California residents who own a Toyota Mirai, the OEM’s hydrogen-powered car, want the automaker to pay more than $5.7 billion over what they call “decade-long fraud.”

Toyota built the Mirai as a showcase of what a hydrogen-powered future could look like

Zero emissions. Quick refueling. The midsize sedan meant to prove fuel cell tech could go mainstream. 

Instead, three California owners say the company created something far more volatile. According to CarComplaints.com, they’ve now dragged Toyota into federal court, seeking $5.772 billion in damages.

They argue the automaker knowingly sold cars they believe are unsafe, poorly supported, and defective from the start.

Filed in the Central District of California, the class action targets Mirai models sold or leased in the state from 2016 through 2025

Plaintiffs accuse Toyota, along with its dealerships and credit division, of engineering not just the car but the limited hydrogen infrastructure around it.

Allegedly, Toyota then used that control to hide failures through quiet settlements and insufficient documentation.

They describe it as a years-long scheme to absorb individual owner disasters before they could draw wider attention.

The lawsuit claims the Mirai leaks hydrogen, experiences propulsion loss without warning, and struggles to refuel due to unreliable hydrogen stations

One driver reportedly suffered a spinal injury after pressing the brake and experiencing forward acceleration, an issue the complaint calls “brake-accelerator confusion.”

Owners also describe flooring the accelerator with no response, only for the car to suddenly surge after several seconds. They say it’s a frightening scenario if traffic is bearing down.

We covered one owner’s gripes last year

TikTok user Daniel, who purchased a first-generation Mirai in 2021, explained that his hydrogen-powered sedan carried an expiration warning: Do not refuel after October 2032.

The equipment apparently has a life limit beyond Toyota’s eight-year or 100,000-mile coverage. 

He reported extreme refueling costs once free fill-ups ended, and said that when he did fill his Mirai this spring, he spent about $134.35 for just 3.7 kilograms of hydrogen. The car only projected 205 miles of range. That math lands north of 65 cents a mile.

Back in the lawsuit, mechanics allegedly advise owners to call a lawyer instead of attempting repairs

One hydrogen station in Torrance reportedly rendered at least 75 Mirais permanently inoperable due to contamination.

The plaintiffs argue Toyota’s actions rise to the level of racketeering. The scathing suit calls it a criminal enterprise that concealed “catastrophic safety defects.”

Toyota hasn’t yet responded publicly about the lawsuit itself, but has acknowledged the systemic challenges of Mirari ownership. It’s offered fuel credits, rental cars, and reimbursements for fuel system repairs. All of this seems to happen on a case-by-case basis.

The accusations certainly suggest hydrogen might not be the future…at least not this version of it.